Five Star Professional partnered with The Washington Post Magazine to identify and showcase an exclusive group of wealth managers who have demonstrated excellence in their field.

“My primary objective is to help you achieve financial freedom in a complex and constantly changing world,” says Thomas C. Block of Asset Management Group, Inc. “I firmly support families and small-business owners. As a father and a business owner myself, I feel the most connected to those two groups … and work every day to help them achieve financial success.”

The 2015 Five Star Wealth Manager award winners have been carefully selected for their commitment to providing quality services to their clients. The award is based on an in-depth research process incorporating peer and firm feedback with objective criteria such as client retention rates, client assets administered, industry experience, and regulatory and complaint history.

From Thomas to his clients: “Thank you for being a part of my practice, now and into the future. I hope to provide you even better service, year in and year out.”

Thomas sees his Five Star award as “a culmination of years of hard work and never quitting no matter the adversity. I am truly humbled.” The Five Star award has also provided this family man with another very important nod of approval. “My wife is very happy for me.”

The Five Star Wealth Manager award, administered by Crescendo Business Services, LLC (dba Five Star Professional), is based on 10 objective criteria: 1. Credentialed as a registered investment adviser or a registered investment adviser representative; 2. Active as a credentialed professional in the financial services industry for a minimum of 5 years; 3. Favorable regulatory and complaint history review (unfavorable feedback may have been discovered through a check of complaints registered with a regulatory authority or complaints registered through Five Star Professional’s consumer complaint process*); 4. Fulfilled their firm review based on internal standards; 5. Accepting new clients; 6. One-year client retention rate; 7. Five-year client retention rate; 8. Non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered; 9. Number of client households served; 10. Education and professional designations.

Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or awarded. Once awarded, wealth managers may purchase additional profile ad space or promotional products. The award methodology does not evaluate the quality of services provided and is not indicative of the winner’s future performance. 1,837 Washington, D.C., wealth managers were considered for the award; 227 (approximately 13 percent of candidates) were named Five Star Wealth Managers.

*To qualify as having a favorable regulatory and complaint history, the person cannot have: 1. been subject to a regulatory action that resulted in a suspended or revoked license, or payment of a fine, 2. had more than three customer complaints filed against them (settled or pending) with any regulatory authority or Five Star Professional’s consumer complaint process, 3. individually contributed to a financial settlement of a customer complaint filed with a regulatory authority, 4. filed for bankruptcy, or 5. been convicted of a felony.